My FAVORITE Salad Recipes… all in one post.

I don’t know if you have noticed yet but I really love salads. I love a big ol’ salad because I can get in a bunch of nutrients, protein and fats all in on one plate. I keep my salads pretty simple and I just truly love the taste of them. I never get sick of salads, it’s weird.

I have had a few readers request a list of my favorites so here ya go!

1 baked sweet potato, 1-2 cups fresh edamame, 2 ears of fresh corn cooked, 2 cooked and cubed chicken breasts and 1 can black beans. Mix it all up with some salt and pepper and as much Italian dressing as you like! (I also refrigerate it for a little while so it is chilled when I eat it)

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Healthy Nachos

Not quite a salad but whatever—> slice up two sweet potatoes and put some olive oil and garlic salt on them and bake them for 40 minutes at 425 degrees. Top with black beans, corn, sharp cheddar cheese and put them back in the oven for 5 minutes. Add some tomatoes and avocado. ***Adding chicken and roasted red peppers is my favorite:)

-Season both sides of your salmon with lemon pepper and heat pan with a little butter and garlic. Cook salmon 10 minutes per inch of thickness (flip salmon 1/2 way through). Throw it on top of the quinoa and top with fresh lemon juice and/or balsamic vinaigrette.

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Quinoa Summer Salad

Cook quinoa in the rice cooker and then add a cubed baked sweet potato and some sautéed mushrooms, cabbage, spinach and asparagus. Let that chill in the fridge for a few hours and then add walnuts, feta and cranberries right before serving it.

Pluto’s—> THE BEST salad place. I always get the steak salad and put on tomatoes, bleu cheese, edamame, sweet potatoes, peaches and pineapple with the creamy vinaigrette.

Wild Zucchini (I think there is just one here in Utah)—> The chicken salad with the house dressing and every vegetable topping (they have SO many), fresh mozzarella balls and crispy sweet potato strips).

You’re making me hungry! Salads are kind of my go-to and I have learned to love them :)
I try to eat a salad everyday because otherwise, I don’t eat leafy greens and I know I need em!
Favorite salad toppings: Eggs, feta cheese, and bacon
Favorite restaurants to get a salad?
Favorite salad restaurant: Back home in Chicago the salad bar, Sweet Tomatoes
Favorite dessert: Ice Cream! Current favorite flavor: Edy’s Cinnamon Bun

Every one of these looks incredible! Lately I’ve been doing a lot of kale salads. They seem meatier to me for some reason. I particularly love adding roasted butternut squash with a dijon mustard and spiced pecans. It’s like candy salad. My stand by’s are Jason’s Deli, Oreganos, Pita Jungle, Chipotle and Cafe Rio.

I like goat cheese, steak/chicken/ahi tuna, and any and all vegetables on my salads.
Panera, Crushed Red (a St. Louis chain), and Chipotle are my favorites for salad.
Current favorite dessert: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

I eat salads once a day, there’s usually a burger or salmon in there, baby spinach and other “good stuff” like sweet potatoes, olives, and avocado and I like making my own dressings! Your salads always looks amazing and I love the sweet potato nachos especially!

Annie R

I just made a DELICIOUS salad last night, even my bf liked it and he is not a salad fella.

Pearled Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Cous Cous, Arugula, Tomato, Avocado, Baked Sweet Potato (buttered, salt & peppered), cucumber, yellow pepper, and a healthy dose of feta. No dressing needed! It was so delicious. I wish I had the makings to do it again tonight.

I eat salads a lot too. Usually a first course vs a meal. I tend to go Greek with feta, kalamata olives and cucumber, tomato and red onion. I like using spinach and romaine combined for the base. Sometimes I’ll add shrimp or steak to make it a full meal. And pita with hummus to go with.

I love warm chocolate chip cookies ice cream desserts. Like the ones that get baked in a skillet.

I eat salad at least once a week and like any topping except beets and olives. my favorite salad to make is a taco salad, it’s easy to make and you put tortilla chips on top which adds a nice crunch :). All of those salads you mentions look and sound great!

Yum yum yum.!! the colors in all of these pictures are just amazing.! looks so good.
and I’ve been eating a lot more salads lately.! I love it. my go to topping is Cucumbers. they go so good. crunchy yet soft.
Thanks for all these great salad ideas :)

Oh my gosh!!! I am so, so hungry now :)
Love all of these – I would eat any one of them anytime.
That fruit salad….!!!
I eat salads probably 5 out of 7 days.
I love a good Cobb, I love a good mixed baby greens with grilled chicken and tons of veggies. Love having red and yellow bell peppers included!
Love having pears in my salad too. I could go on and on.
We have a restaurant here called Hillstone that had wonderful salads!!!

Yum – thanks for all the ideas! I had a sort of lettuce-less salad today for lunch. My recent favorite has been chickpeas or sweet potato, with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, a boiled egg, 1/2 an avocado with some balsamic vinegar on it. Its super yummy!

I love salads with fruit and goat cheese, the cafe at Nordstroms does a yummy chicken, dried apple, goat cheese salad.

Dana

Am I the only person who doesn’t love salads? I’m a vegetarian, so I really should love them, but I just don’t. However, I frequent Chop’t at least 3 days a week and make my own “salad” sandwich: romaine, avocado, black beans, tomato, corn, and Greek yogurt dressing, all in a grilled honey wheat wrap . It’s delish!

Jenny

I would love almost every single one of those!! Salads are so beautiful…and delicious!!
I eat a different kind of kale salad every day for lunch! I would be lost without it!! We also have salad as a side for dinner most nights.
I like yams, black beans, pintos, Avacodo, tomato, tuna, salmon, grilled chicken, or even a spicy black bean burger chopped up on it…Maybe not all at the same time, but I probably would go for it if it was in front of me!
I’m not really a dessert person…don’t judge me!! Lol If skittles count as dessert then their might be hope for me! Love my skittles!

Kristin

We eat potato nachos all the time and my kids love them! I am intrigued by your dressing mix of bbq sauce and ranch…will have to try! My favorite salad is a bunch of greens topped with beets, sunflower seeds and TJ’s goddess dressing. Could eat that every day.

Thank you for this awesome post!!!! I eat salads every day, but kinda stuck in a rut and not knowing how to spice them up!!!! This gives me a bunch of ideas!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!!!! YUM!

Kate

I loved my salad today for lunch!! I made a Greek salad full of tomato, red peppers, green peppers, olives, red onion, and romaine. (I don’t like cucumber and didn’t have feta) And I used homemade dressing which was olive oil, red wine vinegar, lots of seasoning and some honey. I’ve learned for me, the trick is to have just as many of the other veggies as the lettuce. I think this would have been great with a piece of grilled chicken. That’s my plan for tomorrow!!

My favorite place for a salad…I’m not sure I have a favorite. But I do love the ranch dressing from Outback!

I love ice cream! I can’t narrow it down to one favorite dessert but I’m really craving a Dairy Queen ice cream cake! So good!!

Elena

I eat salads daily – my husband makes the BEST chopped salad with no less than 14 ingredients in it. We go to Costco and buy ridiculous amounts of veggies and fruits on Saturday and the he makes a HUGE bowl and we eat it for a few days – amazing. It even has some raw sweet potatoes (diced small – they remind me of carrots).

Favorite restaurant for salads was Palmer’s when we lived in Iowa – they made them custom and then tossed with your choice of dressing in a large bowl before putting on the plate – YUMMY!

I like salad, but most of the time I feel like the lettuce is my least favorite part. I always have to have something crunchy on my salad–preferably croutons, but I also like adding mixed nuts on there, too. And avocado is a must, obviously.

I love chicken caesar salads, and La Madeleine has a pretty good one. I don’t get salads at restaurants that often, though. I always end up getting to-go boxes, and salads are so complicated to box up and don’t usually taste as great as leftovers.

You know what’s really tasty on salads? Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips–just crush some up, and toss them on there. They are a great addition!

My current favorite dessert is sugar cookies. Hands down.

amy

I just need to tell u how much I loved this post. All your salads look so yummy and can u make me one of each please?!
I would eat salad every day if someone would just make them for me. I’m so lazy when it comes to making them..
Our favorite dessert is your brother’s s’more bars! We make it every time we need to take a dessert somewhere.

In my (seemingly) constant battle to eat loads without eating too much (you see the dilemma) salads are definitely my friends! You can make them huge without all the calories of a similar-sized bowl of pasta. Plus, they are topped with things which are actually good for you. Bonus!

These salads all look fantastic – thanks for sharing. I will definitely be making one of these for dinner this week.

I forgot about that snickers salad- used to make it all the time and also used to make it with my preschool cooking class (when I taught it years ago lol)…Favorite restaurant salad is by far the BBQ ranch from The Cheesecake Factory – the best!

There is so much salad info there.
I am in LOVE with thai chicken salads and peanut dressing right now. Sweet peppers, edemame, cucumber, carrot, salty fried wonton strips….. so good.
Also grilled veggies salad, onion, pepper, zucchini, corn, grilled and then tossed with lettuce, and whatever else i have with a creamy ceasar like sauce.

These all look so great! I’m not much of a cook but these ideas are so inspiring!

I’m in Michigan for work this week and had dinner with a friend last night at a fancy-ish Italian restaurant. I paid $15 for a salad and it literally consisted of lettuce, croutons, and some Parmesan cheese.

Kathi J

you’re a genius, and you’re a good blogger friend for sharing allll those recipes with us! I’m a little obsessed with the sweet potato nachos and want to run home NOW (it’s 8:48 am) to make them. THANK YOU!!

So many fun choices, I like the blueberry nectarine but remain skeptical of the Snickers one. I know you’re not a fan but roasted beets would be delish on that steak salad. I generally eat salad twice a day and/or I sneak greens into my smoothie.

-I try to eat 1 to 2 salads a day (try is the key word)
-Favorite toppings : tomato’s on a spinach salad or fruits: strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries on a mixed green salad.
-I mainly make salads, I usually don’t eat them when I’m at a restaurant. But I do always order steamed broccoli.
-I like raspberry vinaigrette or olive garden light Italian dressing.
Okay I’m hungry now :)

You really make it seem really easy together with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be actually
something which I feel I’d by no means understand.
It sort of feels too complicated and extremely extensive for me.
I’m taking a look ahead to your subsequent put up, I will attempt to get the hold of
it!